Oaths Worth Keeping
by TheRainAscends
Summary: "I know why you're afraid of him," Rumple said to Sarah, who pretended not to react to what he was saying, when in reality her heart was racing faster than anyone could imagine. "You are afraid he will take you back when you tell him the real reason and you don't want to have to go through that same pain again." (AU) Peter Pan/OC [Ongoing]
1. Arrival

_**"Why do you ask what / when the delicious question is when? / The only difference between past and present / ...is semantics. / Lives, lived, will live. / Dies, died, will die. / If we could perceive time as it really was... / what reason would grammar professors have to get out of bed? / Like us all, Lady Comstock exists across time. / She is both alive and dead . / She perceives being both. / She finds this condition... disagreeable." - Robert and Rosalind Lutece (Bioshock Infinite)**_

* * *

"She's waking up," a voice said. "Vital signs appear normal, but she has taken a bit of damage from the crash." Sarah's eyes fluttered open to the buzzing sounds of machines and wires connected to her body. She attempted to get up from the bed when a hand pushed her back firmly to the bed. What did he mean by crash? She didn't remember crashing at all. "I know you're shocked, but you are still in a critical condition and you cannot move."

Sarah could barely keep herself awake. "I never crashed," she said, refusing to believe it. _Impossible. _

The man in the white lab coat shook his head. "You were in a car accident," he replied. "You are very lucky to be alive. The damage to the car was worse than your injuries."

She again refused to believe it by continually arguing with the man. She did remember driving a car, and when she passed the sign into a town, she saw a white light blinding her. After that, Sarah could not recall anything else. "But that's not possible," Sarah whispered. "There was nothing I hit."

"Do you remember anything else before the accident? Do you remember your name at all?"

She did remember her name. It was… _'Sarah!' _She thought she heard a voice calling her, but there was nobody except for her and the doctor. "Sarah," she said. The name came flooding back to her almost right away. "My name is Sarah and I was last living in a shelter for teenagers in New York." The last memory of the shelter was… What was it? She blanked out, trying to figure what happened in the shelter on the day she left.

"Do you remember your age?"

For some reason she had to think about it for a couple minutes but managed to finally come around. "Sixteen." _Or is it seventeen? _She thought. It really didn't make a difference because she already told the doctor.

The doctor smiled softly. "Well, Sarah, you are healing quite nicely. If it continues, you might be able to leave soon."

"T-Thanks."

_My body is extremely empty, _Sarah thought, lying back into the hospital bed. The physical pain wasn't even part of it. Sarah could blank it out for a time but more than that, there was something out of place. Before the car crash she knew she once understood who she was. Everything **made **sense. Now it was all in shambles. She could not understand any of it.

"Where am I?" She asked before the doctor left the room.

"Storybrooke."

Sarah never heard of such a place. She wondered if it was a dream. In New York, she desperately wanted to leave the shelter she stayed in. No amount of force could ever make her return there. Those memories of all those years she had there… were they real? At least some of the memories were off. Sarah had yelled at one of the workers in the shelter to leave her alone because they thought she was doing drugs. That was definitely real. They grabbed her wrist so tight, it caused lines from their fingers onto her skin.

"Excuse me?" a woman with long blonde hair stepped into the room. "You're Sarah, right? My name is Emma Swan." She held out her hand. Sarah reluctantly shook it. "I understand you were in an accident... mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Sure," Sarah replied, although she was unsure why Emma needed to ask her anything at all.

"Why exactly did you come here for? Vacation?"

"I would actually love to know the same thing," Sarah said. Emma gave her a stern look, and crossed her arms vigilantly. Sarah had not given Emma the answer she wanted. "I don't know why I am here."

Emma unfolded a map of Maine with a drawn line from New York City to another written word 'Storybrooke'. "Explain this, then."

Sarah examined it closely. It was not her writing. Someone else drew on it. "I don't remember doing that!" she exclaimed. "And besides I am not sure what the big deal is."

"We've had a number of crimes here, Sarah. I'm sorry, but I need to take you in for custody."

Once the doctor, who Emma called "Doctor Whale", examined her and allowed Sarah to leave, Emma took her to the police station. The police station was something familiar to her. Countless amount of times she found herself there, always in trouble with the cops but they could not charge her as an adult and the crimes she committed were nothing beyond stealing. She paid her time through community service under the watchful eyes of police officers. If Emma was a cop, then Sarah hated her immediately.

Not only had she never heard of 'Storybrooke', she never saw anything like it. She didn't once leave the city but the small town wasn't exactly what she thought it would be. Unlike the big city, everything was quiet. No loud cars to interrupt her thought or crowds of people to worry about bumping into.

Emma brought Sarah to an office, where another man waited for her. He stood nice and tall, and smiled unexpectedly at Sarah. "I'm glad you made a full recovery. Dr. Whale said there was little damage when you were brought into the hospital."

"Cut to the chase," Sarah said. "What do you want?"

"For starters, my name is David. I'm the Sheriff of this town – "

Sarah sat back into her chair, crossing her arms. The setting of a police station, no matter how small, sent goosebumps down her spine. "Police, sheriff." She shrugged, not caring for the words. "Either way, you're trouble because your kind always gets me into it. What did I do?"

"We want answers from you," Emma said, sounding a little impatient with her. "How did you know how to get to Storybrooke?"

"I don't know!"

Emma shook her head. "That isn't the right answer."

"I really don't remember anything."

"You're lying."

David's smile turned into a scowl. "Emma."

"I can tell she's lying."

Sarah was close to blowing up. Instead, she did exactly what her psychologist told her: Breathe and count to ten. She was able to ignore the anger, and move past it. It got her out of a lot of trouble before. "Look, I blacked out when my car crashed or whatever it did. I saw a light, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital. If I had an answer, I would tell you." Emma and David looked at each other for a long time. She may not be able to convince them her story, but it was the only thing she could to do to make sure she was cleared for the time being.

"I don't think she's lying, Emma," David said to her.

"Oh really? You said that about Tamara and Greg."

"Yes but we don't know anything yet."

"Who are they?" Sarah asked, confused.

Neither of them replied. David slightly leaned over. "This might be a mistake, but we can't afford to let anymore outsiders come here. You're going to stay with us from here on out so we can monitor you."

Sarah sat back again, rubbing her forehead. "Son of a…" she muttered, wanting to kick the closest thing next to her.

* * *

_The silence got to her soon enough. She could not tolerate to hold in her thoughts any longer from him. "I can't be a mother to him," she said as she stared down at their newborn baby. He took her hand, shaking his head. "I'm serious." He wrapped his arms around her, embracing her tightly from behind. "He will find me eventually, you know that, right?" She tore away from him, looking out the window to the clear skies and the world ahead of her. That man was out there searching for her and if she stayed, it would make it hard on her family._

"_Forget him," he said quickly, attempting to take her hand again. She pulled away from him. "We can start over, make a new life for ourselves – "_

_It was her turn to shake her head. "No," she replied, her voice beginning to crack. "That is an oath you cannot keep." He had a habit of lying, and sure, she understood why he did at times yet it occurred to her then she could never be with a man who lied. What drove her to him? She never quite knew. _

"_Please stay," he begged her. "If not for me, then for him. Please." Those words alone made her stop dead. She turned around, staring into the amber eyes of a young infant who was barely the age of one. "We don't have to stay here. We can leave tomorrow."_

"_If I stay I want you to promise me." She took his hands and placed them around her neck loose enough where she was not choking. "You will not let him take me back."_

_He removed his hands from her neck, placing them on her shoulders. "It won't come to that."_

* * *

It had been ages since Peter Pan last saw her. He lost count after twenty years. The woman who left him, most likely for another man, would never see him again. He never understood her reasons for leaving and he didn't care. By the time the next morning arrived, Pan realized she already had gone. "Something wrong?" he heard Felix approaching him. Felix was the only one awake at that time of hour.

Pan chuckled. Felix was always worried about him. The poor boy would not learn. "Oh, just thinking about my plan, that's all. How are our employees making out?"

"They have located and found him."

"Good. Then I expect the two of them will be arriving shortly. Please, do me a favor and greet them when they do arrive."

Felix nodded in response. "I will. Don't worry."

It would be at last a good week or less before the woman, Tamara, and her partner, Greg, brought the child with them to Neverland. The worst part was waiting for it to happen. If he was able to go there himself to take him… then Pan would. Sadly, the defenses in Storybrooke were better than he thought.

"_If I stay I want you to promise me. You will not let him take me back." Why am I thinking of that now? _Pan thought. The woman was probably dead already. She was dead to him a long time ago but the memories of her never left. And they never would.

"You look pale. You sure you're all right?"

"Thinking about something else," Pan replied. He looked up into the sky, feeling a couple of rain drops falling on his head. "A memory, I suppose." What was he doing? Pan never told Felix anything like that. Not about what happened back then. For all Felix knew, he never knew the woman who left him. He would never forgive her for what she did to him. Leaving him with the _thing _he was forced to hold onto and desperately wanted to rid of.

"What else are you thinking about?"

Pan shrugged. "A ghost from the past."

* * *

**A|N: My first OUAT fanfic! GAH. I hope this is good. I enjoyed writing this. Of course there is MUCH more to come later on. Reviews of all kinds are welcome! Especially criticism. By the way, this is an AU fanfic. ****Also go to my tumblr and feel free to send me some 'asks/questions'. It's kelly087 tumblr com (with periods obviously). Tell me if the link isn't working.****For anyone who is wondering, the summary of the story is included but not in any chapters published so far. Probably sometime later.**


	2. Neverland

"One man goes into the waters of baptism. A different man comes out, born again. But who is that man who lies submerged? Perhaps that swimmer is both sinner and saint until he is revealed onto the eyes of man." - Zachary Hale Comstock

* * *

"I am not staying with you," Sarah snapped, standing up and knocking the chair to the floor. She wasn't about to let them take her without a real explanation and so far, they had not explained anything. Emma and David didn't say anything else to her. What were these people hiding? "I haven't done anything. I barely wake up in the hospital and you take me to the police station for crashing supposedly in this town?"

David sighed. "Sarah, please cooperate. We are not going to hurt you. We have to make sure…"

"That I'm not a criminal?" she added. She leaned forward, adding a smirk to her lips. _These people are the same as everyone else. _"Too late." Neither Emma nor David were able to say anything because she grabbed the nearest item to her and threw it at them before running out. She made it out of the building before realizing they were both tailing right behind her. Running was her forte. She ran from the shelter workers more times than she could count and it definitely served her well. She never ran so fast in her life and Emma was pretty fast, nearly catching up to her when Sarah made a sharp turn in an alley.

Unfortunately there weren't that many places to hide in. Sarah hated being in a place unknown to her. She hid behind a garbage disposal, waiting until Emma and David searched everywhere and left the area. The coast seemed to be clear, allowing her to crawl out and look around for a way out. _I'll ask for directions, _Sarah thought, and spotting a store with the name '**Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer'. **Ignoring the strange name, she entered it right away.

It was empty. "Hello?" she called. "Anyone here?"

Right away, a man from the back room came out. Immediately Sarah jumped, not expecting someone to answer so soon. "May I help you, Miss?" the man asked. He raised one of his eyebrows. "You aren't from around here, are you?" The man was middle aged, maybe in his early forties. He had brown hair with streaks of grey in some areas. He had a cane in one hand supporting him as he walked.

"No, I'm not."

"I see… well, feel free to look around."

It was entirely full of the most original things Sarah ever saw in her life. The man sold items she didn't think anyone else would. They were antiques of everything from tea sets to potions. Sarah found it extremely weird, yet he did not notice her confused expression. "I haven't seen anything like it," Sarah said. "What kind of a store is this?"

"A pawnshop to be more exact," he corrected. "If you're looking for something normal then you are in the wrong store, dearie. You are best to go to a different store for that."

"You own this store?" Sarah asked him.

"I do own it. I have owned it for years."

She scoffed the idea of people actually coming in here. "And you make profit off these things?"

"Says the teenage girl in ragged clothing."

Sarah turned around, crossing her arms. "You're judging me now?" She was not impressed with him. The man quickly got on her nerves.

"You just judged me with your cynical statement." _He's right about that. _Sarah thought, but she had a reason for it. Who in their right mind would buy any of the stuff in the pawnshop? _A mad person. _"Didn't your parents teach you any manners?"

She didn't even need to think about the next set of words before they left her mouth. "They're dead. But I am sure your _mother _would have taught you manners as well."

Before the store owner could say anything in response, the door opened. "There she is," Sarah heard someone say and felt her arm being grabbed and pulled back. Emma escorted her out of the pawnshop. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I was fearing for my life, so I fled," Sarah replied. "I am entitled to."

"You aren't doing a good job of trying to convince us you're not planning something," Emma said.

"And you would know of what I am planning?"

"I can tell when people are lying. Now, move."

"Who was the man in the store?" Sarah asked, as David and Emma lead her through the town.

David shook his head, not replying. "That isn't important. Mr, Gold is not someone you want to be affiliated with anyway," Emma told her. "Trust me, you don't."

Sarah knew many people who were not able to gain her trust and the ones who stabbed her in the back. She wondered what this 'Mr. Gold' did to get on their bad side. As if Sarah wasn't already blacklisted by them to begin with. She allowed them to take her anyway. She could tell running away again would cause more trouble than she could handle.

Emma and David brought her into a small apartment on the other side of Storybrooke. There was another woman with short black hair waiting for them inside. She was more inviting than both David and Emma together. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

_Why is she even bothering being nice to me? Don't they want me gone? _She thought. "What is it? Poison?"

"There's no poison," the black haired female said, still smiling. "We are not here to hurt you."

Sarah knew better than to believe any of it. If they had not chased and found her, then she wouldn't think they were going to hurt her "Could have fooled me," she muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "I'll just have water."

Mary Margaret took out a glass, pouring water into it. She smiled, as she handed the cup over to Sarah. "I'm Mary Margaret by the way. What's your name?"

"Sarah."

She reluctantly took the glass of water. If the woman did poison her, she did not notice. "Nice to meet you, Sarah."

After taking a quick sip, Sarah said, "Can you tell me why I am being taken in? Because those two will not tell me anything." She pointed to both Emma and David who were sitting down on at the table.

"Didn't give us much of a chance considering you _ran_," Emma told her.

"Okay fine, that was my bad," Sarah admitted. "I won't run again if you tell me why you want me to stay."

"It's a little difficult to explain," Mary Margaret said. She glanced at David. "Should we…"

"We believe two people here to be planning something," Emma interrupted. "What they are going to do, we don't know. We're just being cautious right now."

She found it hard to understand why they needed to keep her captive. It made no sense. Sarah almost wanted to tell them they were looking more suspicious by making her stay. It was like the three of them were conspiring against her. She thought better than to say it loud. "All right. I will stay but only because I have nothing to hide," Sarah said. "The only problem is, where exactly am I staying for the time being?"

"I have an extra cot," Mary Margaret offered. A cot sounded much better than sleeping on a cold, dirty, hard floor of a shelter. "She can stay here, can't she, David?"

"Not like we have a choice… Yes, she can stay here," David agreed. "Don't think of running away. We are going to watch you like a hawk." _Two can play at that game, _Sarah thought although she already knew how she was going to leave, but she needed their trust first.

Mary Margaret got the cot ready for her later on towards the evening. Sarah was not sure how long she would stay in Storybrooke, but the one thing she did not get was why she apparently knew where the town was on the map. _Am I forgetting something important here? _She thought. Emma even showed her the map, which was found in the car she crashed in. Whatever the reason, it was important. But why? _Who cares? _She just wanted to sleep it off, and think about it in the morning.

Sarah woke up the next day, smelling something with strawberries. Much to her surprise, Mary Margaret was cooking pancakes and bacon. There was a boy sitting in the kitchen at the counter. Sarah guessed he was the son of one of three people she met. Mary Margaret kept on her warm smile. "Want some?"

"Sure."

The boy glanced slightly at Sarah. "Is that the girl you told me about?" he asked Mary Margaret as she flipped over a pancake in the frying pan.

"Yes, and she's our guest for a while."

"I'm Sarah."

"Henry," the boy replied, after stuffing a piece of pancake drenched in syrup. "Nice to meet you."  
"You as well." _What a polite kid, _Sarah thought, having been used to rude and immature kids in her shelter. "Mary Margaret, I know that I can't exactly leave your side, but I don't want to be cooped up in this house for a month. I got enough of that in New York."

"Can't I show her around?" Henry asked.

"I don't know, Henry. I'm not sure your mom wants you to spend too much time with her."

"Here we go," Sarah muttered, thinking she almost got somewhere. "I am not going to harm the kid. I'm sixteen years old. You think I'm capable of doing something like that?"

"It's not my decision, Sarah. But, if I'll tell you what, I can go with you on one condition."

Sarah cocked her head to the side. "What would that be?"

"Give me David's keys to his car."

_How the hell did she know?!_ Sarah thought. She took David's car keys the previous night, and kept them with her. If she left last night, they would know she left and be on her tail right away. She was going to slip away while Mary Margaret and Henry were not looking. She took David's car keys the previous night, and kept them with her. If she left last night, they would know she left and be on her tail right away. She was going to slip away while Mary Margaret and Henry were not looking.

She returned the keys back, crossing her arms. Mary Margaret smiled. "I was a thief once. I know how these things work." So she was not all smiles as Sarah had previous thought. Interesting. She underestimated the woman.

After breakfast, Mary Margaret kept true to her word and took Sarah and Henry out somewhere in town. Sarah was not interested in seeing the town. She had to look for a new way out, but first, trust was most important at the moment and leave when they least suspect it. While Mary Margaret left them to speak to a couple of people, Henry and Sarah sat in silence, while staring off into the park full of people.

"Hey…" he said, pointing to a dark skinned woman beside a man. "That's my father's girlfriend, Tamara…. And Greg."

"What about them?" Sarah asked.

"They are both new here, too."

_Tamara and Greg? Emma mentioned that to David yesterday, but he doesn't seem to believe her, _Sarah thought. "Henry! There's something I really want to show you," the woman said. "Come with us."

"Why?" Henry said. "Is my dad with you?"

"He's at the docks right now. He told me to come get you."

Sarah stood still, realizing they couldn't be right. She looked at Mary Margaret but she was still talking to someone. "Don't go with them," Sarah said to Henry.

"Take him," Tamara said to Greg. "And take her, as well."

"Take me and I will scream," Sarah replied.

Tamara put a gun to her chest. "If you scream, I will shoot you and Henry."

Sarah complied. She knew nothing of what they were going to do, but shooting a child? She would never allow it. They took them away from the park all the way to the docks, as Tamara had told them. "What are you doing?" she asked. Tamara pushed her to move.

"Bringing you and Henry somewhere."

"Where?" Sarah demanded, earning her a kick in the back.

"Just move," Tamara ordered. As soon as they finally reached the docks, she nodded at Greg. "Throw the bean." Greg did as he was told, throwing what looked like a bean into the water. Sarah jumped once she saw the green mist swirling around in the water and had no time to think before she saw Emma and a couple of others running towards them shouting for Henry. It was too late because by the time they were close, Sarah found herself being pulled in.

* * *

"Did you check the batteries?" Sarah heard Greg ask or maybe it was someone else. She wasn't sure, as the daze took over her mind, and confused her. She thought she went through a strange green hole in the water, where she and Henry were forced in. Greg was holding some sort of device. He opened the back of it and sand fell out. She wondered if it was all a dream, but when looking around her, she found she was nowhere near Storybrooke.

_This can't be real, _Sarah thought. It was nighttime, wherever they were, and she only saw silhouettes of trees around her. "What the hell is this?" Tamara muttered, sounding a bit panicked. "A toy?"

"Good thing you guys don't ask questions," Henry said.

Sarah picked herself up from the sand. Her head began throbbing as if she hit it on the way out. "Let's go," Greg said. "Walk. Both of you."

They did as they were told. Although Sarah despised taking orders from other people, she knew the boy was in danger of the two people who took them to an unknown place. Greg eventually found an area where they could signal 'Home office' as they called it. Tamara gathered wood and tried to get the 'communicator' working but to no avail.

Tamara paced around, concerned about home office and how they would not get to them. She seemed to think the sand in the communicator was not an accident. "What does this home office want with us?" Sarah asked.

"It's none of your business," Greg replied. "And we didn't originally want you to come with us… but you saw too much."

They heard noise coming from the forest. An animal? She heard footsteps coming closer and closer towards them. Sarah stood by Henry, in case it attacked. She would force him to run and let whatever was there attack her. Instead of an animal, a hooded boy who looked no older than Sarah, walked towards them with several others trailing behind.

"Who are you?" Greg asked them.

"Home office," the hooded boy replied sincerely. "Welcome to Neverland."

_Neverland? _Sarah froze in her place, glancing at Henry, who in turn, glanced at her.

"The home office is a bunch of teenager," Tamara said.

"They aren't teenagers," Henry spoke, "they are the lost boys." Henry seemed to know more about it than Sarah did. Yes, she heard of the Disney movie Peter Pan and watched it a million times as a child, but didn't understand how it was real.

"Now the boy," the hooded boy demanded. "Hand him over."

"Not until you tell us the plan," Tamara fired back. "For magic… for getting home."

"You're not going home."

"Then you're not getting the boy," Greg responded.

The hooded boy chuckled a little, in almost a mocking way. "Of course we are." Out of nowhere, Greg was grabbed or rather pulled apart it looked like. Something was being pulled off his back… a shadow? Peter Pan's "shadow". Greg fell to the ground, completely lifeless.

"Run!" Sarah shouted to Henry. "Go! I'm behind you!"

The lost boys were too fast for her for they were soon catching up to both of them. She urged Henry to keep going while she dealt with the lost boys herself. She stopped, causing them to stop as well. "You're not getting anywhere near him," she warned.

"Take her. We will see what Pan wants to do with her."

* * *

"Did you find him?" Pan asked when Felix returned. Felix shook his head. Pan's smile turned into a frown, realizing he had failed to get the boy. "Why didn't you take him?"

Felix pointed to someone in the dark. Pan took a closer look to see who it was. A girl with dark hair, wearing ripped and dirty clothes. With the dirt and dried blood he hardly knew what she looked like. He didn't understand what Felix was trying to say about her or what she had to do with him. "Is this a joke? You bring me _her _instead of the boy as I asked?" Pan said, a little impatiently. "Felix, I gave you specific orders."

"He escaped," Felix said. "We don't know where he is, but maybe this girl can help us."

Pan studied the girl, who was saying nothing the entire time. "What's your name?" he asked, bending down in front of her. The girl didn't speak to him. She was either too afraid or too stubborn to tell him. "You brought me a mute? Go back and find him. Put this girl in a cage."

"I'm not a mute!" the girl snapped, bringing Pan's attention back to her quickly.

"Well isn't she feisty?" Pan chuckled.

"My name is Sarah," she shot back, "and that is all you need to know about me."

_Sarah? _Pan thought. The woman who left him a long time ago was named Sarah. It was entirely coincidental the two had the same name. "Take this **_rube_** away. I'll deal with her later. Right now, we need to find the boy." Felix took her away, but when Sarah passed him, he saw the look in her eyes… the same look he received on the fateful day before the damned woman disappeared. Pan shook his head, and decided to let the thought pass. The two of them were not the same.

Because the woman was dead to him.

* * *

**Originally, chapter 1 and 2 were supposed to be ONE chapter but I changed my mind. People might not want to read more than 2k words per chapter (for now). ****Also go to my tumblr and feel free to send me some 'asks/questions'. It's kelly087 tumblr com (with periods obviously). Tell me if the link isn't working.**


	3. Impact

**_"The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist." _**

* * *

_Rube?! _Sarah thought, but before she could even say anything Peter Pan already disappeared. Of all names to call someone, he used 'rube'. _That was extremely rude and unnecessary. _

She was immediately thrown into a cage by Felix after the confrontation between her and 'Peter Pan.' She knew making a fuss was only going to make the situation worse from experience. When she was with her adoptive family, they kicked her out for not listening to them hence the reason for going into the shelter. She regretted it almost right away. But even thinking about it… it didn't seem real anymore. _Did all of that really happen? _She thought. It took her a while to realize there was another girl inside the cage as well. Sarah jumped, not expecting to see anyone else.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," the girl said. She had blonde hair that looked like it could have been nice once but it was too knotty for Sarah to see. The girl also wore a white night gown. "Did he send take you away as well?"

_All of them seem to be boys and there's not one girl except for this one and me, _Sarah thought. The lost boys, the shadow and whatnot… the only other person missing from the picture who was a major part of the story. "Are you Wendy?"

The girl was no older than thirteen years old, roughly around the same age as in the movie and the book. "Y-Yes," she said. "How did you know?"

"Long story I suppose," Sarah replied, not knowing what else to tell her. "I'm Sarah."

"It's nice to make your acquaintance, Sarah." Wendy spoke in a polite form of old English. Judging by her accent, she was definitely from England but it made her sound like she was from a different time. Her dress gown gave it away. She was from the early 1900s.

"Do you know why we are here, Wendy?" Sarah asked. "I was taken along with a boy named Henry… Peter Pan seems to want him for an odd reason."

Wendy gave her a blank stare. "I… don't know."

"How long have you been here for?"

She shrugged, as if she really didn't know. "Days, months… years," Wendy said. "I lost count after five."

The girl stayed in Neverland for longer than five years? "Years?" Sarah repeated, momentarily at a loss for words. "Shouldn't you be older than most of these boys?"

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Don't you know? You don't age when you're in Neverland." Sarah and Wendy stared at each other while sitting in silence. She was right. No one aged in Neverland. She completely forgot about it but still did not understand what Henry had to do with it. "Where exactly are you from?"

"New York."

"Haven't been. My father wanted to take the family there one day to visit."

She did not regret for a minute leaving the city… if she could remember why. All that was left in her mind was taking car keys and driving but the reason still remained unknown to her no matter how hard she tried. "It's a busy place," Sarah replied, brushing a piece of her black hair around her ear. "I doubt you would want to go there now." Many times she walked through New York and found herself running into too many people. It made her not miss anything about the city.

"Why not?"

"Because – "

It was almost as if someone hit her in the face. Her mind went completely blank for a minute, as the surroundings around her began changing. She closed her eyes, and saw two people outside. The picture was not clear enough for her to see anything or move at all. _"What's wrong?" the man next to the woman asked. The woman said nothing, staring out into open space. "Please. Tell me."_

"_You wouldn't understand," she replied._

_The man touched her cheek to comfort her however the woman pulled away from him, moving a few feet. The warmth of the hand was far too much to bear. "You've been crying."_

"_I recently found out something," she said. A piece of her black hair fell into her face. "I went to the doctor the other day because I was sick, remember?" He nodded, not saying anything and allowed her to continue by listening. "I couldn't believe it when he told me the news."_

"_What news?"_

_The woman turned around, smiling as she stroked the man's face. _

She saw no more for someone called to her, interrupting the revelation abruptly. "Sarah!" she heard Wendy cry. Sarah found herself being shaken until she flashed her eyes wide open. "You're… you're bleeding!" She touched her nose, spotting blood on her hand. She pinched her nose, leaning forward to stop the blood. "Are you okay?"

Sarah nodded. Her head hurt way too much. She didn't hit it recently but it grew worse as she sat there in the cage thinking about it. _Who was that? A woman and a man... talking. _She could not think too much more on the subject. The event was too coincidental. Whatever it was, Sarah doubted her thought that it _meant_ something. She guessed she randomly passed out from the humidity. Even at night, the humidity remained strong.

As the blood began to dry out, she wiped the remaining blood from her face and she still could not get the taste of iron out of her mouth. Her face remained sticky from the remnants of the blood she did not wipe away and of course, it was uncomfortable. "You were out for a bit," Wendy said. "Are you sick?"

Sarah appreciated the girl's genuine worry but it was not the girl's place to. It was refreshing to hear someone care, even if it was a person she barely knew. "Not that I know of." In the back of her mind, she wondered the same thing if she was sick. She did not have any symptoms before Neverland, and others surely would have noticed. Sarah didn't want to think of it anymore, as it would make her anxiety levels grow more.

"You," the same boy who put her into the cage said. "Pan wants to see you."

"Why?" Sarah asked, suspicious of Felix suddenly coming over to her. "He's the one who called me a rube, and wanted me in this cage to begin with." Felix unlocked the cage, grabbing and pulling Sarah out rashly. Any argument she thought of would immediately be silenced, and she decided it was better to keep it for when she saw Pan again. She had a bone or two to pick with him.

Felix gave her a push as Pan was there to meet them. "Sarah… just the person I want to see."

"What the hell do you want?" she demanded.

"Felix, leave us," Pan said. When Felix left, Sarah did not tear her eyes off of Pan. She wanted to make sure he knew what he was dealing with. He immediately took her by the chin. "You are quite cheeky, you know that? You women do nothing except cause more pain for others."

Sarah pulled herself away from his grasp. "Exactly what do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what I just said."

"Oh, who is being cheeky now?" she shot back. "I don't care what you want with me. I am not going to do it. Let both me and Henry go."

Pan shook his head. "The boy is not up for negotiation. And it isn't as if you can do anything to stop me either." She folded her arms, continuing to stare at him until finally he tore his gaze away from her. "I know who you are, Sarah."

"We have never met before," Sarah said, bluntly.

"Really? You don't remember?" He acted as if she were lying. Sarah had no idea what he meant. "You don't remember you leaving me?" She gave it a thought for a moment before Pan mockingly shook his head. "Of course you don't, because you will do anything to try and deny it."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" It was Sarah's turn to shake her head. "I told you I don't _know _you. You are a psychopath for trying to kidnap a child not to mention you are at a legal age where you can be jailed for a crime like this."

"Funny how you lecture me, when you, yourself, are no better."

"Well, you didn't bring me here to tell me what kind of a horrible person I am!"

"You're right. I didn't. I need your help with Henry," Pan said. "He refuses to listen to me until he knows you're okay. I need you to talk to him and convince him to listen to what I have to say."

"Why should I?"

He moved his face closer to hers. "Because, you're good at winning people over, right?"

_What is he talking about? _Sarah thought. _Telling me this as if he knew me. I never met him before. _She was born an orphan in New York, and sent to an orphanage for a while until a family adopted her which worked out so well she ran away six times. Not once did she meet Peter, if that was his real name. Alias or not, Pan was unknown to her. "What if I don't convince him?"

"Simple. You die and so does he. If you really care about Henry, then you will as I say."

He was right. Sarah didn't know Henry for too long, but he was innocent and allowing a child to die young wasn't a part of her plan. "I'll help but not for the boy's sake."

"Coming from you that is rather _**surprising**_," he added, distastefully.

"Who is this woman you keep talking about?" Sarah questioned him. The words coming from his mouth were disturbing and aggravating. He didn't know her. "You keep mentioning her to me as if I am her."

"Aren't you? You can quit playing games."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Pan would not reason with her no matter how hard she tried. He really believed her to be a woman from his past. _Absurd. _"Just take me to Henry."

And he did.

Henry's smile got wider when he saw her. "You're okay!" Henry exclaimed. "I looked all over for you… I thought something happened."

"I-I'm fine," Sarah replied.

Henry's smile faded. "Why do you have blood on your face?"

"Oh that." Sarah frowned. "I guess I hurt myself is all. No big deal."  
The boy raised both eyebrows, as if he could tell she was lying. Sarah had to hand it to the kid. He was smarter than most gave him credit for. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she lied, hating having to lie but she didn't want him to feel the need to run away. She stopped, taking a glance at several boys dancing around the fire along with music to go along with it. In the middle of it all, Pan was playing an instrument of some sort. At a closer look, the instrument was a musical pipe. "What are they doing?"

"They have been dancing since I got here but I hear no music."

That was something she really did not want to hear. "You don't?"

Henry shook his head vigilantly. "No. Can you?"

"Yes." Sarah stopped staring at the boys dancing. "Um, listen, we need to talk about what's going on here."

"We will be saved. I promise."

"No… I mean. You should listen to what Peter Pan has to say."

The boy didn't seem to understand her words. "He kidnapped me. Why should I listen?"

"His offer might end up being better than being imprisoned here," Sarah told him. "I know this might sound weird, but just listen to him at least. Please?" Henry paused, considering her words for a mere moment and then quickly shook his head. Sarah sighed, the reason for him listening so he would live. "I don't know what he wants."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Yours!"

"Then why are you taking his?"

Pan wasn't paying attention or he was acting like he wasn't. Either way, he would be disappointed that Henry would not listen. Sarah could not allow it to result in his death. _I can't tell Pan Henry refused. _"Henry, your mother wants you alive obviously," Sarah said. "Can you go talk to him? If not for me, or yourself than for her."

"But my mom wouldn't ever be on his side."

The kid was damn stubborn. "Maybe, but you could always pretend."

"Pretend? But won't he know?"

"Up until we are saved he won't," Sarah said. "I am not on his side any more than I want to be. We just have to work together in order to survive this." Henry said nothing, making Sarah hopeful he would think more on the idea.

Henry let out a long drawn sigh. "I'll listen to him. For now," he replied, much to her relief.

* * *

The more he watched her, the more he realized how much Sarah was like _her. _Yet Pan knew, it couldn't be. _How can it be her but not at the same time? _He thought to himself. The worst part of it all was trying to figure out how she became young again. Did she drink an aging potion? Or was a spell cast on her? Sarah remembered nothing or so she claimed. As far as he knew, he had no idea if she lied or not. She lied to him once, and she would probably do it again.

She had no idea how it impacted his life. The thought disturbed him a little. Going back to the past was not something Pan was great at. He preferred not to think about those memories and 'move on'. The memory stayed there and rarely surfaced back. "How did she get here?" he whispered.

"How did who get here?" It was Felix.

Pan shrugged. "Nothing. Just talking to myself."

"I don't like that girl we brought back," Felix said. "She will cause nothing but trouble. Shouldn't we kill her and get it over with?"

"No. Killing her will hurt Henry. Believe it or not, she is vital to me. For now. Besides, Henry might not cooperate if I kill her."

Felix nodded, taking a quick look at Sarah, who was talking to Henry. "I don't trust her, though."

"Neither do I. That's why I am keeping a close eye on her."

He saw Henry leaving Sarah, and heading in his direction. Pan smiled at the boy warmly. "I'm only talking to you because Sarah told me to. What do you want?"

"You really don't like beating around the bush," Pan said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sarah watching him closely. She was making sure he wasn't going to hurt Henry and as far as he was concerned, hurting Henry wasn't a part of the plan at the moment. "I need you – " Sarah suddenly fell to the ground, interrupting his sentence. Henry saw it too and ran to her in a hurry.

If he wanted Henry on his side, he had to make sure to act like he cared. "Her nose is bleeding," Henry noted.

"Felix do you have anything to stop the blood?" Pan asked quickly.

"I'll try to find something."

Pan lifted Sarah up to prevent her choking on blood. "Sarah!" Henry cried.

Sarah woke up several seconds later, coughing up blood and barely able to keep herself up. Pan ordered Felix to get her some water, but she fainted again and this time on him. He decided to carry her elsewhere. _This girl is proving to be a pain already, _he thought, _didn't she just get here? _He didn't want to wait until she woke up. However, with Henry genuinely worried about her, he'd make sure she was fine.

"What just happened?" she asked, her voice wheezing from coughing so much. Pan shrugged. "I dreamt I was in Neverland and this weird guy who called himself Peter Pan, kidnapped me. Weird."

"Sadly, that dream was not a dream. It's real."

"Well, if I could scream right now I would."

"Mind telling me what that was all about?" Pan asked her, but the girl looked as clueless as he was. "Don't play games with me, girl."

Sarah, in no condition to argue, snapped, "I woke up with blood all over my face! I have no idea what happened." She turned over in the bed. "Maybe you should just go and leave me to my misery."

"If I did that, then Henry might get upset." She groaned disconcertingly. "In a hurry to rid me of already?"

"Yes."

Pan came extremely close to her ear and whispered softly, "Well, I am not going anywhere, Sarah and neither are you." She thought she could get away from him and avoid confrontation. Pan refused to allow it to happen.

* * *

Not being able to describe what she saw nearly drove Sarah crazy. She speculated the things she saw during the blackout period was merely a hallucination. There were scattered images of the exact same woman from before interacting with what looked like people the woman knew at one time. The first image showed the woman speaking to an unseen man with her fists curled and the next, she ran away from him. The next couple of images were blurred out. Two people hugged each other, and the one after, was someone visiting a grave. Sarah could not put her finger around it all. Dreams did not consist of strange things or cause nosebleeds.

She wasn't who she thought she was. From the beginning, Sarah felt something had been detached from her and left her with an empty shell of a body. _I need to figure out who I am, _Sarah thought. She frowned, realizing Pan might have the answers to her questions unless he was playing around with her. "Why is this happening to me?" she whispered to herself, and wanted to leave the island to start from where she left off. If she was capable of figuring out where she stopped remembering… Fairytales existing? How did that happen? Henry knew more about it than she did. He was the first to point out the lost boys.

"Are you going to be all right?" Henry asked her, while she was still in the bed Pan put her in. Sarah, disheartened by his worry, tried to merely shrug it off to prevent him from thinking something was up. The boy should not have to worry about her considering she was a stranger and all.

"I have a question about… Neverland and you know, how Pan and the lost boys exist," Sarah said.

"Oh! Right! You don't know, do you?" he sounded really excited, as if it were the moment of truth he held in his hands. "This book I have… it has all the stories of all the fairytales. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, etc. They are all real."

"Crazy," Sarah replied.

"Remember Mary Margaret and David?" Sarah nodded and Henry continued, keeping his excitement. "They are my mother's parents. Snow White and Prince Charming. I was given up for adoption by Emma, my real mom, and Regina took me in."

_That's a lot to take, _she thought. "But where did they all come from?"

"The Enchanted forest."

"How?"

"Long story…"

She never believed she would need help from a child, but she asked him to come closer so she could whisper in his ear. "Henry, I may have a problem," she whispered to him softly. "I came here for some reason, and I can't remember why."

Henry tilted his head to the side. "You can't remember?"

Could he really help her? She had no one else to turn to and the other person would be Pan and she knew it was a bad idea to ask for his help. "I woke up from the accident. I know who I am or at least who I thought I was but there is a piece of me missing."

"Makes no sense… people forget their memories when they leave Storybrooke. Not when they enter it," Henry said. "No one has been able to leave the town except for me and some others."

"People **lost **their memories?" What kind of a place was this 'Storybrooke'? The more he talked about it, the more Sarah wished to hear. "I blacked out and saw some weird things happening, Henry. The first time was in the cage. I blacked out as I did before and saw a man comforting the woman about a secret she was about to tell him. I don't know what she told him because I woke up."

Henry scratched his head. "Weird. And what about when you blacked out before?"

"They were just images… Still images of random people. Most of them were the same."

He suddenly stopped talking and sat there for a moment. _How does this boy know so much about this Enchanted Forest? _"I think I might know," Henry said, and turned his head to her, staring her in the eyes. "You might be seeing your memories of your former life."

* * *

**Wow! First of all... thank you SO much to the reviews, favorites and follows! 3 You guys are amazing. Keep them reviews coming :D Also go to my tumblr and feel free to send me some 'asks/questions'. It's kelly087 tumblr com (with periods obviously). Tell me if the link isn't working.**

**[Edit 5/9/2014] - I added more to this as I felt the chapter was not quite over. **


	4. Identity

**"This world values children, not childhood. There's a profit to be made and men who make it."**

* * *

_Impossible. _Although she had thought that in Storybrooke, and she ended up in Neverland as a prisoner to Peter Pan. "How could I have had a former life?" Sarah asked, words barely leaving her lips. Did he mean reincarnation? She heard theories about 'reincarnation' in other religions such as Buddhism. Maybe Henry was wrong, and the reason why she blacked out was because she was sick. _Doesn't explain why I keep seeing the same people, but that doesn't mean it's not happening for a reason, _she thought, drumming her fingers on the side table.

He kept the big grin on his lips as he talked to her about the fairytales. The boy knew so much about the Enchanted forest and claimed not to have been born there. "I have a book that explains the fairytale character's story. You might be one of them," he said. It made sense how he knew. The book gave him the information. As Sarah was about to ask where the book was, Henry's smile slowly began fading away. "Unfortunately the book is actually in Storybrooke."

Sarah had planned to read it to find out if she was in it. She found out a little too late she might be a character. Whether or not Pan had in mind for her, it did not matter because she already willfully decided his plans were going to fail. "I was brought here for a reason," Sarah said, slipping out of the bed. "Fate, maybe? Either way… we have to - no I have to figure out why if I am a part of this 'Enchanted Forest' so to speak. We have to stop whatever Pan is doing which means you have to pretend to like him, understand?"

Henry agreed by nodding his head. "I guess that means we are partners."

"Yes. Keep doing what you're doing. I will try to pry information from him." _Somehow, _Sarah thought, which was good enough for her. For now.

She hoped not to black out again even if it technically 'helped' her a little. It was not the way she wanted to find out where she came from. Sarah and Henry returned back to the camp, able to walk despite feeling dizzy from the blood loss. The moment they both returned, Pan already took Henry aside and again, attempted to talk to him about how important the boy was. What did he want with an innocent child? More importantly, what did Pan truly want with her?

She watched them like a hawk. Henry, seemingly composed, was talking to Pan about something. She couldn't hear as she was too far away from them. Sarah stayed put, while the other boys gathered around Pan and Henry. He showed Henry an apple, which the boy looked away in disgust until Pan handed him a crossbow. _No. Is he…? _Sarah thought.

The apple was on top of Felix's head, while they all chanted for Henry to shoot. He didn't want to aim at Felix though. She noticed him turning around towards pan. "Henry!" she shouted quickly Henry got distracted, accidentally letting go of the trigger. The arrow missed him completely and flew off into the distance. The chanting died down as Pan approached her with clenched fists. "What are you doing?" he snapped at her. Sarah overlooked his anger for the moment. She wanted to ask him the same question. If telling Henry to shoot an apple off of someone's head wasn't questionable enough, then she didn't know what was anymore. "You are nothing but a distraction to him. I think it's time we get rid of her, don't you think boys?"

The boys chuckled and jeered. "No!" Henry cried out, stepping in front of her.

She patted Henry on the head, appreciating his efforts to protect her. She had to think quickly of something to say before he decided to kill her. "I just noticed he was doing it wrong," Sarah said. "He wasn't in proper position and could have hurt himself… I didn't mean to distract him."

Pan stared at her for a while until he ultimately shook his head. "Right, because you actually know how to use a crossbow yourself," he said. "How about we allow Sarah to show us what she can do?" Sarah wished to disappear as she dug herself into an even bigger hole. "Unless, you're not up for the challenge, but don't think you can run off like you always do."  
"What?" she whispered.

He ignored her, and gave her the crossbow. "Use it. Let's see if you're telling the truth or not."

Sarah took the crossbow from him, and realized not only did she not know how to use one, she was going to accidentally hit someone or hurt herself in the process. She gulped, aiming the crossbow arrow at the apple. "I found them!" One of the boys announced. Sarah lowered the crossbow, feeling somewhat relieved not to be humiliated in front of a bunch of boys. Especially Pan, given his nature thus far. "They're on the island now."

"Let's find them, then," Pan said, adding an amusing grin.

"Attack who?" Henry asked him.

"These people are willing to take magic away from this island," he replied, "and they will say anything to get you on their side." _You mean what you're doing right now? _Sarah thought, but she nearly said it out loud.

He meant Emma and Henry's adoptive mother and perhaps more of them. Sarah had to find them first before Pan did. She secretively followed them in the confusing forest, trying not to make any noises and keep up with them at the same time. She forgot how energetic these boys were and wondered how there combat skills were. Some carried bow and arrows and others had with them the strangest weapons Sarah saw. Axes, swords and crossbows? They were no longer playing. Pan meant business. Sarah was sure their parents taught them such things would injure themselves but then again, none of them knew better.

Sarah hid behind a tree, watching as Pan and the lost boys crouched in the bushes, watching as Emma, and a couple of others emerged. They were lost, and confused. Emma pointed to the map and said the base should be close. A raven-haired woman claimed the map was wrong and the two were left to argue until a woman Sarah recognized as Mary Margaret shushed them. David was in the group, as well as a man with a hook for a hand. _Captain Hook? _If she didn't know better Hook was supposed to be the bad guy. In both the book, and the Disney movie. Instead, it looked like Pan and Hook switched roles.

Finally she decided to make a move, and tell them what was really happening. If it ended in her death, then she didn't care. She had a feeling the group would succeed in saving Henry with or without her. Unfortunately, Sarah was almost hit by an arrow Mary Margaret shot at her. "I'm not here to attack you. I'm here to tell you – "

The raven haired woman with shoulder length hair viciously walked up to her. Sarah cautiously took several footsteps away from the woman who marched her way. "You know where my son is, don't you? Tell me."

Panicking as the woman closed in on her, she cried, "I had nothing to do with his kidnapping! What kind of logic is that to blame someone without any real proof?"

"You were with Tamara and Greg," Emma replied, sharply. "How are we supposed to believe you had nothing to do with it? Sounds like perfect logic to me. I know when people are lying, Sarah. You are one of those people."

Sarah shook her head. "Henry can tell you himself – "

The raven haired woman silenced Sarah, her hands around Sarah's throat. She grabbed the woman's wrists to attempt to stop her. Her lungs screamed for air as the woman's hands tightened. "I am going to count to ten and if you don't tell me where my son is, I will kill you."

"Regina!" Mary Margaret shouted, interrupted her. "Threatening her will do nothing for us."

Regina was full of darkness… which brought a question to Sarah's mind: How in the hell was she Henry's mother? "Maybe you should listen to her," Sarah added. Regina hesitantly let go of her, but the look on her stone cold face remained the same. "It looked bad. I know, but when they approached us, they ordered me to go with them, or they would kill Henry."

"I still don't believe you," Emma said. "You still could have shouted or said something. They had no weapons on them I know of."

"How was I to know that?! I was panicking! You can't exactly blame me. Look, I can tell you where Henry is – "

"Hate to interrupt this conversation," Pan said, emerging from the bushes and covering her mouth with his hand, "but Sarah is right. She had nothing to do with Henry being taken." _Why is he taking my side? _She thought. Sarah knew she was screwed now. She removed his hand, fleeing from them right away. Of course neither Emma nor Regina would believe Sarah. She realized from the beginning they would think she tried kidnapping Henry and whether or not they believed Pan for contradicting their statements, was up to them.

She continued running until she thought she got far enough away from them. She sat down on the ground to catch her breath for a moment.

"You," she heard someone say from behind her. "You had something to do with Henry, didn't you? I knew there was something off about you when you happened to appear in Storybrooke."

Sarah didn't move. She hardly recognized the voice behind her. Did he follow her? "I didn't have anything to do with Henry. I just had this same discussion with Emma. Tamara and Greg appeared to Henry and I, and ended up threatening me."

"Somehow, I just don't believe you, dearie. Those two are dead. I killed Tamara but not Greg, sadly."

Sarah rotated slightly, spotting the same man who owned the pawnshop she ran into while trying to escape Emma and David. Mr. Gold, he said his name was. He held a kris dagger. _That dagger looks familiar, _she thought. She saw a flashing image of a man dressed in black with the exact same dagger in his hands. The same man she kept seeing with the woman. "How do you know Henry?"

"I'm his grandfather but worst of all, my son died because of Tamara and Greg which obviously means you were a part of it, yes?"

"Your son? I don't know who he is."

"I would believe you, except I really don't feel like it. It involves too much effort."

Pan appeared just as Mr. Gold raised a dagger, the one he would have used to kill her with. "Well, Sarah, you have just about the worst luck of anyone I have ever met," Pan said. "You're being blamed for something I did and I should be letting them blame you…"

Before she had any time to think, Mr. Gold now had her within his grasp. The dagger he held was awfully close to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Now this… is a family reunion," Pan announced. "Sadly, I have to cut this **reunion **short."

He arched one of his eyebrows, pointing the dagger at Sarah's throat. _What is up with people threatening me today? _She thought. "This girl is important to you, isn't she? She's another one of your pawns in your plan. Well, it won't work, because I'll be killing her."

"You really shouldn't do that."

The tip of the dagger was at her throat, close enough to barely touch her flesh. "Why not?"

"What if I told you – " He was cut off like he changed his mind too late on what he wanted to say. "If you don't let her go, I am sure I can think of more ways of harming your loved ones. Like a certain woman named Belle?"

Mr. Gold pulled he dagger away from her throat. Pan took her by surprise, grabbing her waist. She struggled against him but he began flying in the air within seconds. "What the hell?" Sarah shouted at him. "What did you mean by reunion? Are you related to Mr. Gold?"

"Hah. Is that what he refers to himself now? His real name is Rumpelstiltskin," Pan replied.

She waited for him to give her more of an explanation. It appeared he was not willing to. "Rumpelstilskin?" she repeated, practically unable to speak as if being in thousands of feet in the air wasn't enough already. _Is Pan his son?_ She thought. The imp who could spin straw into gold? The fairytales got complicated every time one of them were mentioned. It made sense why he called himself 'Mr. Gold'.

He brought Sarah back to the camp. He gave her a big push to the ground as soon as he landed. "Don't leave without my permission."

"You don't own me," Sarah said in a low growl. She got back up right away and stared at him, eye to eye. Pan didn't and would not ever intimidate her. She learned early in New York never to act intimidated or people thought they had the right to waltz all over. It might earn herself in a cage again, but she really didn't care anymore. "You know what? You called me a rube before… but you're wrong. I'm not the rube, Pan. You are."

* * *

Pan wasn't sure he understood why he allowed Sarah to speak to him that way but he let it slide rather than teaching her a lesson. Even Felix called him out on it but Pan didn't feel like making a fuss. _She's the same as ever,_ Pan thought. The damn woman would always be stubborn even in her young for. She truly didn't remember him or the past, and for that, he was eternally grateful.

Petrified of her remembering too much, he did not make any more references about the past to her. He realized it would only escalate from there. Why was he worried about her remembering? "Felix keep an eye on her," Pan ordered, because trusting her was the last thing on his mind. She slipped past him and almost told Emma about Henry's location. He could not have them knowing where he is.

His second in command replied, "Why not just put her in a cage?"

He hated it when he was questioned, but kept his cool. "Because it's better this way."

"Aye. Of course."

* * *

They were watching her. Sarah noticed when Felix stared at her the entire time the lost boys were dancing. It wasn't much of a shock. She did almost betray Pan, but it would have been worth it if Henry's parents found him. _He is really lucky to have a family who cares about him and evidently, I don't have anyone. _

Pan would not relent. Like Sarah _expected _him to. She wondered about his story and if it was consistent with the movie or the book. Mainly the book. J.M. Barrie wrote a much lighter version of the story, but it had a dark undertone most people dismissed. The Disney movie, however, had no such thing. Sarah theorized perhaps J.M Barrie came to Neverland himself and wrote it after being inspired? She didn't feel up to thinking about the theory any deeper although anything was possible.

And the lost boys continue dancing, without a single thought that their leader was not who he claimed. Pan wanted them to think it. He would say almost anything in order to keep them at bay. Henry sat beside Sarah on a dead tree log, watching Pan playing the musical piper. "I found your parents – well, both of your mom. They seem to think I was a part of your kidnapping. They wouldn't listen to me either."

"But you didn't! Greg and Tamara forced you to come or they would kill me," Henry said. "I can't believe they think you were with him."

"Mr. Gold also thinks I killed his son but I wasn't even there at the time. I have wonderful timing." How could Regina be Henry's mother? The woman tried to choke her to death had Mary Margaret not intervened on time. "I found out Mr. Gold and Pan are related…"

"Related, how?"

"I don't have the slightest clue. All Pan said was it was a family reunion or something. Whatever happened, it did not end well between them," Sarah observed. "Pan confirmed they were family, though."

"You should know something about Mr. Gold," Henry said. "He's known as the Dark One, and is extremely dangerous, well at least other people perceive him as such. He carries a dagger with him all the time and it contains magic. Without it, he's powerless."

"Noted," Sarah retorted. "Shame we have no backup plan. Seems like Pan is already winning with not letting me leave."

"Wish there was a way to… talk to family."

"There will be a way, Henry. We need to – you need to believe in them."

He smiled ever so faintly. "Thanks. I appreciate that."

"It's no problem. I never had a family like yours. I have no idea who mine even are…"

"I'll help you find them," Henry said. "I found mine."

There was that one line Pan mentioned when speaking to Rumple. '_What if I told you…' _but never continued saying it. _Does… he know something about me that I don't? _Sarah wondered, and her eyes met with him, while he played the piper. _I'll find out if I have to ask him myself. _She refused to march over there and outright ask him. It had to be at the right time otherwise she would never receive any answers. He did save her. Twice. She guessed she would have to thank him. Unfortunately. It was the only way to speak to him.

As the boys stopped dancing, Sarah went back to the tree house she woke up in earlier. Pan ordered her to, and even placed a protective spell on all the windows and the door. She had to admit, the tree house was ten times better than what the shelter gave her.

Sarah closed her eyes for only a instant. She wished for her and Henry's safe return from Neverland so she could get on with her life. She reopened her eyes, seeing someone standing in front of her. She jumped, and almost screamed but their hand covered her mouth. "Be quiet," she heard Pan's voice whisper, "or I will kill Henry's loved ones."

* * *

**Weeeeeeee~ 4th chapter! :o. Surprised I even got this far. Anyway, keep those reviews coming. :D They are definitely much appreciated and welcomed, especially criticism.  
**


	5. Gnawing Malice

"**We would rather be ruined than changed. We would rather die in our dread than climb the cross of the moment and let our illusions die." – W.H. Auden**

* * *

Sarah stopped struggling long enough to come to the conclusion Pan was serious about killing Henry's family. The boy was capable of a lot of things and cruelty was among them. He released his hand from her mouth. "You're doing something to Henry," he whispered in a low growl. "You changed his mind. I thought I told you – "

"What do you want from me? The boy makes his own decisions," Sarah replied, expecting him to hit her. If looks could kill, she'd be dead already from the cold stare Pan gave her. "You are completely two-faced, Pan. Henry already knows what you are. He figured it out LONG before I said anything to him. In fact, it was me who told him to listen to you." His face became extremely close to hers, and if he came any closer to her, their noses would touch. The beating of Sarah's heart overpowered the thoughts buzzing in her mind.

"Then try harder," he said. "I am not playing around. I will kill Henry's family. Keep this up, Sarah and that person will definitely be the first to go."

"You are in over your head, Pan," Sarah said, resisting the urge to smack him for threatening a child. "Didn't your parents ever tell you about anything? What's right or wrong?"

He grabbed her wrist tightly. "My father sold me to a blacksmith," he replied. "After that, I was on my own! Don't think of lecturing me on my beliefs." He let go of her wrist, drawing away from her.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" she asked him before he left. He had many chances to do so and instead wasted time threatening her for all the good that was worth. Sarah wondered if it might have anything to do with what he told her before… how he apparently knew her a long time ago.

Pan halted, not turning to face her. "If I did," he said, "would Henry willingly go along with the plan? No. He'll try escaping back to his family. I can't have that happen."

_Is that the real reason? _She thought, _or are you holding something back? _The following day, she was afraid to approach Henry. Anything she might say could affect him somehow and Pan would follow through with his threats. She wished there was a way to help him without showing it.

* * *

Henry noticed Sarah's distraught look when she did not talk to him first thing in the morning. He wanted to ask her why but thought better of it. He instead sat away from the lost boys dancing around the fire, trying to think of some sort of way to find his family. He knew they were coming for him. Sarah confirmed it. He needed to give them a sign. Pan approached him, interrupting his thoughts. "You don't want to join in the celebration, Henry?"

"Nothing to celebrate."

"Nothing to celebrate? Henry, this whole party is to celebrate _you_."

"Me?" Henry was not entirely convinced that was possible. Pan had him taken and the act in itself already made the boy weary. "Why?"

"Because you've come to save magic, of course. And I, for one, can't think of a reason more deserving of celebration than that." He can't be telling the truth, Henry thought. He wished he asked how Emma used her superpowers to tell when someone was lying or not. "Just look at them." They were having fun and as fun as 'dancing' was, Henry wanted no part of it.

Henry merely shook his head at Pan, who he thought might lose his temper but he kept patient with him. "I'm not like them," Henry replied. "Or you."

"Sure you are," Pan reassured him. "You're still a boy." Henry didn't respond, not caring for what he had to say anymore. "Maybe a song will get you on your feet." He started playing the musical instrument or at least Henry thought he did.

"Sorry, I can't hear anything."

"Interesting," Pan said. "You see, this pipe's enchanted, Henry. It can only be heard by certain children."

"Like who?"

Pan was about to reply when he averted his gaze elsewhere. "You'll find out soon enough, I promise."

* * *

Without a doubt, Pan almost had a hold on Henry. Sarah saw them talking not too long ago before it was interrupted by Felix. "You find it funny I can't convince him?" Pan asked her. Sarah rolled her eyes, walking away before it got out of hand. Pan took her by the arm. "Sarah, his will is powerful. If it can't be broken you know what happens."

She said nothing to him. Giving him the satisfaction of replying only made things a lot worse for her and also for Henry. She wished he would cease his staring at her. His eyes were like daggers as if she did something terrible to him. She ignored it for a while, dwelling into her thoughts to calm down the nerves. Ever since she came to Neverland, the uneasiness she had in Storybrooke, did not subside and grew even worse around Pan.

She watched Henry for a bit longer. He eventually looked her way but only for a mere moment before turning the opposite direction. _Sorry, Henry, it has to be this way for now._

About to leave the premises for a while, the boys stopped dancing. All of them, including Henry, fell to the ground as if someone knocked them out. A series of dust made it difficult to see anything. Everyone except her and Pan were out like lights. There was a silence for maybe a couple of seconds before Pan realized what was going on.

"We have guests!" he announced. "No doubt someone who knows how much I like guessing games. Who could it be? I guess… the Dark One." He turned to the same man who almost killed Sarah. _Not him. _Rumple didn't say anything in response, allowing Pan to continue. "Come to save Henry have you, laddie? How exciting. The Dark One ready to sacrifice his life for his family. Speaking of family…" He pointed to a torch behind Rumple, igniting it with fire. "You can come out now Baelfire."

Baelfire emerged from the bushes with a crossbow aimed at Pan. "Name is Neal now," he replied.

"Henry's father?" Sarah asked out loud. Neal pointed the crossbow at her in return.

"I thought you only took boys in," Neal said to Pan.

"I got stuck in between," she replied, her eyes stuck on Rumple to make sure he did not try killing her again.

"She means nothing to me. I just haven't chosen to kill her yet," Pan stated. _Thanks, _Sarah thought and rolled her eyes at him.

Rumple just shook his head. "She doesn't concern me. Baelfire, do it."

"I got this."

Sarah only caught a moment of the arrow leaving the crossbow at Pan, half expecting it to hit him. Instead, Pan caught the arrow with his bare hands before it even touched him. Being abandoned is what you're good at, isn't it? Everyone you've ever known has left, haven't they? Like Bae's mother Milah. Not to mention your own father."

"How can you even say that to somebody?" Sarah asked. "Abandonment is nothing to joke about."

Pan whirled around to her. "And you are the last person who should even say that!" he snapped at her.

"Why do you keep saying it to me? I don't know you and I never have!" she retorted.

Neal and Rumple both looked at one another, confused faces alike. "What are you two talking about? You know each other?" Neal asked.

"Never mind that." Pan's arm was paralyzed from Rumple somehow. "Take Henry!" Neal slumped Henry over his shoulder.

"Well, how about that? I'm impressed. But are you sure you're really saving him, Bae? What could be worse than leaving him here with you? Why don't you ask your father? Sometimes the people we should fear the most are the ones closest to us."

"W-What's he talking about?" Neal questioned Rumple, now with extreme caution, as he backed off.

"You mean you haven't told him?" Pan mocked.

"Told me what?"

Pan took pleasure in the fact Neal didn't know about the prophecy. Sarah knew he liked causing even more drama than what was needed. "Why, about the prophecy, of course."

"What prophecy? What's he mean?"

"The prophecy that says you've been tricked. Your father isn't here to rescue your son. He's here to murder him."

Sarah pushed herself between Pan and Neal. "You're going to kill him?" she said. "But he's your –"

"I'm not **planning** on it!" Rumple yelled back loud enough to cause silence, which let her know Henry might be in big trouble. "Let's just take Henry and go." They ran off into the forest, leaving Sarah with Pan to contemplate the prophecy. _He won't really kill Henry… Rumple is his grandfather. _But the man attempted to kill her. Anything could happen.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" Sarah said.

"If you look closely, I'm stuck. So no, I can't stop them."

She crossed her arms, blowing the piece of dark hair away from her face. "Maybe if you weren't so concerned with yourself, you would have seen that coming," Sarah muttered. "How you torture them with their past… you've done enough damage don't you think?"

"You really would not be talking to me that way if I could move," Pan said rashly.

"I am not scared of you! I have been in much worse situations than this and you are far from the scariest person I have confronted," Sarah replied. She did not expect him to understand her feelings. The guy was incapable of comprehending what the definition of the word 'humane' unless it didn't make an appearance in his way of thinking.

"You're going to leave me then?"

"As much as I want to, I think staying here for Henry's benefit is wise. I don't have any powers to go up against Rumplestilskin to begin with. I hate to say this, Pan, but you can probably save Henry right now."

"You are willing to work with me in order to get him back?"

She wasn't sure why she felt so close to Henry. The boy was more than someone who didn't judge her when arriving in Storybrooke. She had no idea what the feeling was but she knew looking into it would have to come later. "Saving him from the Dark One is a good idea. The prophecy about Henry being his downfall scares me for an odd reason, and I am not even related to him." Pan continued to remain unusually quiet. She guessed he was trying to think. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"Why do you care about him so much?' Pan asked.

How was she supposed to respond? And why did he need to know the answer? "Why? Because…"

"Just as I suspected. You don't," he sneered. "He's the only key to escape Neverland." Sarah's lips quavered a little as she thought of something clever. "I'm right, aren't I, Sarah? You know it's true. Admit it."

"No," Sarah replied. "You only want me to admit to a fallacious fact. Guess what? Not going to happen."

"Have it your way." She heard footsteps from behind her. She barely had enough time to see who it was before a fist knocked her to the ground."

* * *

_How do I know when I will follow into your footsteps?" a woman with dark long brown hair in a low stylized ponytail with a blue bow in it. She was neither happy nor angry when speaking to the man in the black hood._

"_Patience, Sarah. That will come later. First things first, you are my apprentice and power won't come…" He snapped his fingers and in the palm of his hands, a small ball of fire appeared. Sarah took a closer look, enraptured by the small blaze. Zoso made it disappear soon after. "… So easily. For now, you must know about the basics."_

"_What basics?" she asked touchily. She didn't want to learn any 'basics'. "I am not expendable." The reason why she became Zoso's apprentice to begin with… to start a better life for herself instead of always working the odd job. _

_Zoso gently touched Sarah's bruised cheek from a fight earlier. "You're right. You aren't expendable. There is something I want you to do."_

"_What do you want me to do?"_

_She listened carefully. Zoso pointed to the upcoming town before them. "We stay there, Sarah. I will tell you everything once we reach it."_

"_Sorry, I'm confused. I thought you were supposed to teach me magic."_

"_It involves magic you already have that you didn't know about. Sarah, I would like for you to open a rift for me." He's planning something, Sarah thought. Maybe becoming his apprentice was a mistake. "It's up to you what matters more. Your part in the play or the play __**itself**__."_


End file.
